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Hulu tries to schedule its UK debut: report

Hulu has fast become one of the internet’s top destinations for professional video content. With free high-def programming from the likes of NBC, FOX, Comedy Central and many others, it’s not hard to see why.

There’s only one problem: it’s only available in the United States.

Fortunately, it looks like that could be set to change this September as Hulu may be coming to a (computer) screen near you if you live in the UK. The company, which is a joint venture between News Corp., NBC Universal and Disney, is reportedly looking to finalize deals with broadcasters to enter the UK market.

In addition to 3,000 hours of programming from its American content partners, The Telegraph is reporting that ITV and Channel 4 will also be content partners for the UK roll-out and that Hulu is also speaking with the BBC about its possible participation.

Still at issue, however, are the terms of these deals and Hulu will likely be forced to compromise if it wants to get them inked. The Telegraph’s Emma Barnett writes:

A senior TV advertising executive close to both broadcasters explained: “Hulu is
proposing a model that works in the American marketplace – however Channel 4 and
ITV will not consent to that. Both parties always retain the commercial rights
and sell their own ad inventory. Hulu executives want a September launch and are
running out of time if they continue with this line of negotiation.”

Needless to say, it will be interesting to see if Hulu can come to terms and what those terms look like as they could have an impact on how well received it is by UK consumers.

One thing is for sure: there’s a lot of demand for services like this internationally and if Hulu is going to continue its momentum, entering the UK market is a logical next step.